Week 9 Observations

LFG

Week 9 had some redeeming value, and it’ll have more if the Bucs cover the spread tonight against the Chiefs, in which case I’ll win a double-week in my home pool.

As it stands I went 4-1 ATS to kick of Q3 in Circa Millions, and I was so close to being 5-0 but Danny Dimes, the great Danny Dimes, failed on two two-point conversions, during one of which he took a sack! How do you take a sack on a two-point conversion? Get rid of the goddamn ball! Just throw it up for grabs FFS! How does he not get rid of the ball?

The Giants also got cheated out of a TD on a very ticky-tack offensive PI and had to settle for a FG. Basically, I went 4-1 the right way — four wins on no-doubters and a loss on a very close one. This is in contrast to earlier in the year where I’d go 2-3, winning the two barely and being on the wrong side of three blowouts. (The no-doubters were CIN, LAC, BAL and ARZ.)

Seslowsky and I also won easily in Survivor with the Ravens, while some people got bounced with the Saints. More would have lost with the Eagles, but Trevor Lawrence (who is in the Tannehill/Dimes lineage) threw an egregious, game-sealing pick on first down! for no reason. There are still a couple hundred people alive, and the pool is only about $70K, so it’s not really exciting yet.

My Primetime team did well with Harrison Butker pending, and that was despite having Jeremy McNichols at flex as a last-second sub for Brian Robinson. Apparently, the guy can take a bullet, but can’t make it through pre-game warmups with a hamstring injury. (The Primetime got off to a good start Thursday night and had JK Dobbins, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaxon Smith-Njigba yesterday.) One of my two BCLs did well too, though the attrition with the wideouts is taking a toll with Stefon Diggs gone and Drake London getting hurt too.

The only really bad performance was my first-place Steak League team that had Chris Olave, McNichols in for Robinson and Isaiah Unlikely at TE. That team is now on the ropes after losing Diggs, and now CeeDee Lamb is hurt and so is his QB.

• It’s bizarre that old, high-workload running backs like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, James Conner and Alvin Kamara have held up just fine while supposedly safer receivers like A.J. Brown, Diggs, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, London, Olave, Rashee Rice, Brandon Aiyuk, Nico Collins, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, D.K. Metcalf, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Malik Nabers have all missed or are likely to miss time. You’re really ahead of the game if you drafted Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson.

• Danny Dimes played well except the disastrous two-point tries. Why are they snapping to him in shotgun when they only need to gain two yards? Why turn a two-yard try into a seven-yard one? I saw the Broncos do this on 4th-and-1 too, which is even worse.

• The Giants didn’t throw to Nabers the entire first half for God knows what reason. Brian Daboll is just an odd coach.

• The Giants defense was so frustrating, giving up a scoring drive first by surrending a 3rd-and-18 and later allowing an 18-yard TD pass to Terry McLaurin 1-on-1 when the Indigenous Peoples had no timeouts and only 11 seconds left in the half. I mean if there’s one guy to cover in that situation on that team it’s him.

• It was pretty annoying seeing Chris Rodriguez in the game subbing for Austin Ekeler and getting goal line work when I had started McNichols in two places for Robinson.

• The Cowboys are toast, obviously. Losing Micah Parsons and having no running backs or receiver depth with Mike McCarthy as a coach was too much. Now Dak Prescott is hurt, and Lamb is banged up too.

• At least London had the decency to score a TD before getting hurt. He’s no Chris Olave who has done it twice now. That kind of thing just kills your season.

• Bijan Robinson was back to his RB1 usage, though I was happy to see Tyler Allgeier get the TD.

• I started Jaylen Waddle over Ladd McConkey in a league and was aghast until Waddle’s late TD. Unfortunately he gave back all his yardage on a desperation, last-second failed lateral play. Waddle and Tyreek Hill combined for only seven targets. I get using Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane in the passing game, but you can’t neglect your stars.

• Achane is a monster fantasy player when healthy and with Tua back.

• I was high on Dalton Kincaid this year, but maybe he’s just a guy.

• The Brock Bowers garbage time TD was nice, but I sat Mike Gesicki for Jonnu Smith in my dynasty league, and that hurts.

• The Bengals need to get the ball to Chase more than two yards down the field.

• The Raiders are a ridiculous team.

• I laid the wood with the Chargers because I figured this Jameis Winston would show up against a decent defense. Cedric Tillman seems to be for real though, and he saw another 11 targets.

• Dobbins was rough going until a couple big plays late.

• Quentin Johnston comes out of nowhere every so often, but you can’t use him. McConkey is still the WR1 there.

• The last second Drake Maye play to send the game to overtime was amazing. He held on forever before chucking it up for grabs for the Rhamondre Stevenson TD. Dimes would 100 percent have taken the sack there.

• Kamara saw 29 carries and nine targets, got 215 yards from scrimmage. Even Christian McCaffrey is jealous of that workload.

• Without Olave, the two leading receivers were Kamara and Taysom Hill, who were also the leading rushers. Olave got his second concussion in a few weeks, so he could be in Tua territory too.

• Jonathon Brooks comes back next week, but he probably won’t supplant Chuba Hubbard right away as Hubbard is pretty good.

• Lamar Jackson had a perfect QB rating, just makes it look easy. Derrick Henry too.

• I can’t decide if Bo Nix has a future or not. He made a nice TD *catch* while covered though.

• The Eagles were blowing out the Jaguars, and then after a fumble-return TD, out of nowhere, it was a game. The Jaguars could have won too but for Lawrence’s unbelievably senseless pick on first down with plenty of time left. If you’re not gonna cover, just do the right thing and lose.

• DeVonta Smith was quiet most of the game but made one of the sickest one-handed catches of all time at the very back of the end zone for a necessary TD, it turned out. If Brown misses time with a knee injury, Smith *should* see more work, though game flow Sunday resulted in only six targets. Dallas Goedert might be out for longer too.

• With Brian Thomas not 100 percent, the backs splitting carries and Lawrence vulturing at the goal line, it’s hard to use any Jaguars besides Evan Engram.

• The Cardinals ran roughshod over the Bears from start to finish.

• Jordan Love didn’t seem healthy, but Jayden Reed finally did.

• Jared Goff didn’t have to do much for the second straight game. The Lions are a juggernaut behind that offensive line.

• JSN was having a quiet day, and then suddenly with the last play of the first half, Geno Smith decides to target him for a TD. And then he went crazy in the fourth quarter too. The sporadic use of top receivers is so odd to me. It’s like they finally decide to stop throwing to the third-string tight end, it works, and then it hits them they can throw to JSN every play. In fact, it’s why we took him in the first round last year even! Who knew?

• Smith also took seven sacks. The Seahawks are one of the worst pass-protecting teams in the league.

• Puka Nacua got ejected for throwing a punch, and I thought Cooper Kupp would get 20 catches after that. But DeMarcus Robinson, who caught another two TDs, including the game winner in overtime, has a real role and is clearly the team’s No. 3 now.

• The Sunday night game went almost perfectly. I had the Vikings defense (that last second PI that negated a pick and gave Indy the field goal was unfortunate), was going against Joe Flacco and two of his receivers and had the Vikings ATS. I also had Darnold who redeemed ever-so-slightly my destroyed Steak League team.

• Keep an eye on Cam Akers — he looked good and seems like the No. 2 now.

• The Colts have to turn back to Anthony Richardson, make the one-game benching his sole punishment. I saw he was dropped in a couple of my leagues, and I will put in bids for him.